Steve King Sparks Social Media Backlash After Tweeting Support for Geert Wilders

Congressman Steve King has sparked a backlash on social media after tweeting his support for the Dutch anti-Islam politician, Geert Wilders.

The senior Republican tweeted on March 12: “Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny.”

“We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies,” he added.

The Republican Representative of Iowa is a strong advocate of putting a stop to birthright citizenship.

All children born in the United States currently get citizenship under the constitution, including the children of families living in America illegally.

Image source Flickr

Steve King has pushed for radical reform of the interpretation of the 14th amendment of the US constitution so that it no longer gives the children of undocumented migrants the right to a US passport.

His comments led to accusations that he was “openly peddling white nationalism”.

Steve King’s post was re-tweeted by the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke, with the words “sanity reigns supreme”.

David Duke later tweeted: “God bless Steve King.”

However, many were quick to denounce Steve King, including former President Bill Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea Clinton, who described the Republican’s comments as “painful”.

Geert Wilders, whose populist Freedom Party is expected to do well in Dutch parliamentary elections on March 15, has been under 24-hour police protection for more than a decade due to death threats.

The anti-Islam politician was found guilty of hate speech over his promise to reduce the number of Moroccans in the Netherlands in 2016, but no penalty was imposed.